The Coca Plant
Bolivia's culture reflects the importance of the coca leaf. People consume coca by wadding tens of leaves into a ball in the side of a cheek. An base is added (like baking soda) to activate the alkoloid. The tingling effect produces lucidity and suprresses hunger, similar to drinking coffee. However, Bolivia's pervasive poverty and a high foreign demand for cocaine has converted many poor farmers into suppliers of the raw ingrediate for cocaine.